Thursday, March 25, 2010

Kedar Jadhav helps Delhi end losing streak

Delhi 183 for 4 (Jadhav 50*, Warner 33) beat Bangalore 166 for 9 ( Pandey 39, Kohli 38*) by 17 runs

David Warner exploded at the top and Kedar Jadhav provided a fiery finish to charge Delhi Daredevils to a strong 183, which they defended with relative ease. It was Delhi's first win after three losses and also marked Royal Challengers Bangalore's first loss at home.

The pitch was drier than the previous tracks at the Chinnaswamy Stadium and Bangalore had to do much of the damage against the new ball if they were to hunt down the strong total. However, Jacques Kallis and Manish Pandey were kept relatively quiet by tight spells from Dirk Nannes and Umesh Yadav. Nannes hit the deck hard and moved the ball enough to upset batsmen's timing and Yadav, the fastest Indian bowler currently going around in the circuit, with speeds consistently ticking over 140 kmph, surprised the batsmen with his line, length and bounce. And it wasn't all brawn from the youngster; he kept it relatively full to Kallis but hurled a few short deliveries at Pandey to keep him on a leash.

Bangalore's second opportunity to break free came in the eight over with the introduction of Andrew McDonald and Amit Mishra. It was the make or break moment, with Bangalore needing 129 from 13 overs, but Mishra slipped in fine spell to turn the game decisively in Delhi's favour. Mishra removed Kallis with a googly and induced Robin Uthappa to edge the reverse-sweep to inflict a double-strike from which Bangalore couldn't' recover. McDonald went for 18 runs in his first seven deliveries - Uthappa producing the shot of the day with a nonchalantly-hit six over the straight boundary - but bounced back in his second over by taking out Pandey, and when Rahul Dravid ran himself out in the same over the chase had derailed.

There was just one other moment of thrilling drama and it was provided by AB de Villiers, who jumped back at long-on to take an amazing one-handed catch, even as the ball appeared to have passed him, to get rid of Praveen Kumar.

Rajasthan seal after valuable victory

Rajasthan Royals 183 for 5 (Voges 45*, Fazal 45) beat Kings XI Punjab 152 (Bisla 35, Tait 3-22, Trivedi 2-25) by 31 runs
Rajasthan Royals backed up a strong batting performance from Adam Voges and Faiz Fazal with a disciplined bowling effort that choked Kings XI Punjab after their top order had delivered a promising start. The 31-run win meant Rajasthan climbed to a joint-fourth position on the points table, leaving Punjab, who have lost four out of five games, at the bottom. A blistering cameo by Manvinder Bisla had raised Punjab's hopes of scaling down a large target, but a combination of crafty bowling, agile fielding and some irresponsible batting crushed any possibility of a successful chase.

Though the margin of defeat indicates a dominating show by Rajasthan, Punjab had their chances. Their bowlers managed to fight back after a strong start by the Rajasthan openers but faltered at the death in the wake of an assault from Voges and Fazal. Kumar Sangakkara and Bisla blazed away in their reply, racing to 76 in the first six overs, the highest score of the tournament after the Powerplay. But clever variations from seamers Siddharth Trivedi and Munaf Patel, and some uninspiring batting from the rest of the line-up, cut short what was gearing up to be a more exciting fixture.

The conditions at the PCA Stadium in Mohali were conducive for fast bowling with the Punjab opening bowlers beating the outside edge on more than one occasion, and Shaun Tait doing the same during the chase. Tait, who had a poor start to the IPL, bowled a couple of excellent outswingers at Ravi Bopara but suffered an onslaught from Sangakkara, whose frequent hits to the boundary were as much a consequence of good fortune as the batsman's conviction.

A smattering of fours through cover was followed by an inside edge to fine leg before Tait, dropping one short, led the Punjab captain to upper-cut a catch straight to third man; but not before 41 had been scored in the first four overs.

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

England Captain hundred seals 2-0 series win

England 496 and 209 for 1 (Cook 109*, Pietersen 74*) beat Bangladesh 419 and 285 (Shakib 96, Tamin 52, Tredwell 4-82) by nine wickets

What was at times a fluctuating contest turned into a comfortable victory for England as Alastair Cook finished his first tour in charge with a controlled, unbeaten 109 and Kevin Pietersen continued his return to form with a 74 to complete a nine-wicket victory and a clean sweep. England remain the only team to have an unbeaten record against Bangladesh, but have been made to work hard for their success by a home side that showed signs of development but still frustrated with fundamental mistakes.

It was particularly satisfying for Cook to guide his side home with his 12th Test hundred, having copped plenty of criticism for some naive captaincy through the tour. It was, as ever, more efficient than spectacular, as he picked off the generous offerings from a tiring Bangladesh attack. His toe-ended cut to bring up three figures and slog-sweep through midwicket to seal the result were both fitting as he proved captaincy would not affect his dogged batting.

Before a ball had been bowled on this tour Cook was left out of England's preliminary Twenty20 squad, but in every match since he's shown how his game has developed. Adding a touch of adventure to his steely temperament he ended as the leading scorer in the series after making a career-best 173 in the first Test and demonstrated an authority that had been missing during his struggle form form last year.

Needing 209 at almost four an over after Shakib Al Hasan's fighting 96 kept England in the field until after lunch, Bangladesh had a chance to squeeze the visitors, but they couldn't muster the resolve. Shakib looked exhausted, having made 141 runs and bowled 66 overs in the game. He wondered around the field with his arms folded and, rather than open with himself, allowed Shafiul Islam and Abdul Razzak to gift England an easy start.

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Robin Uthappa's blitz floors Chennai

Royal Challengers Bangalore 171 for 5 (Uthappa 68*, Murali 3-25) beat Chennai Super Kings135 for 7 (R Vinay Kumar 4-40) by 36 runs

Royal Challengers Bangalore 171 for 5 (Uthappa 68*, Murali 3-25) beat Chennai Super Kings135 for 7 (R Vinay Kumar 4-40) by 36 runs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out

"I'm just an ordinary cricketer who is working hard," said Robin Uthappa during the mid-innings break. His 38-ball 68 that rescued Royal Challengers Bangalore's innings, however, was anything but ordinary. Uthappa's eleventh-hour blitz helped his team recover from a shaky start and sluggish middle overs, after which Bangalore's bowlers throttled Chennai Super Kings to move to the top of the points table.

Chennai took wickets during the early and middle overs but it was the final 19 deliveries of Bangalore's innings, where Uthappa blazed away, that made the difference. Dropped on 5 and 25, Uthappa helped Bangalore take 52 runs off them, lifting his team from 119 after 17 overs to 171 for 5, when at one stage 150 looked difficult.

It was the speed and power with which Uthappa collected his runs that was dazzling: his last 39 came off ten balls. The over that swung the momentum Bangalore's way was the penultimate one, in which Uthappa - whose improvisation makes him the ideal Twenty20 batsman - struck three successive sixes off L Balaji to ransack 24 from six balls.

Until that explosion, Bangalore had struggled. From the time their talisman opener Jacques Kallis was bowled for 19 in 4.4 overs, ending a splendid run of four unbeaten innings, the home side failed to overcome Chennai's bowlers. On a juiced-up surface, an eagerly-awaited contest began with Chennai's new-ball duo wondering just what was needed to make a breakthrough. They thought they had success in the first over, when a peach of a delivery from Albie Morkel appeared to shave the outer edge of Kallis' bat, but it was not to be.

Manish Pandey rode his luck, following up an inside-edged four to fine leg with a top edge that dropped between two fielders, and then Kallis charged Morkel, slashing a thick outside edge that was lost in the lights by L Balaji at third man. Off the very next delivery, Kallis edged Morkel wide of a diving slip for four more.

Once Kallis went for 19, missing a straight one from Balaji, Bangalore's innings lost direction. Pandey continued to live dangerously without imposing himself. Then for the second time a wicket immediately followed a boundary. Rahul Dravid rocked back and dispatched Muttiah Muralitharan's fifth delivery for four; the sixth was a topspinner that pitched on middle and leg and beat the bat to crash into the stumps.

When the strategic time-out rolled around - that's the pace at which the innings panned out - Chennai had restricted Bangalore to their poorest start yet, 61 for 2. That soon became 63 for 3 when Pandey slogged Murali and was held by Suresh Raina at mid-on. However, Chennai proceeded to reprieve Uthappa and conceded substantial ground.

Confident after Uthappa's heroics, Bangalore began snuffing out the chase. Praveen Kumar has a knack of getting early wickets and troubling left-hand batsman, and he got Parthiv Patel to edge one in the first over. Chennai struggled during the Powerplay, finishing the six-over block on 29 for 1. Matthew Hayden called for the Mongoose immediately after and hit Kallis for three consecutive fours, but he and George Bailey were unable to get Anil Kumble away. Mixing flippers and googlies exceptionally, Kumble kept a check on runs and the pressure resulted in Hayden being run out by Rahul Dravid's underarm hit.

That breakthrough brought another, and R Vinay Kumar's perfect seam position dismissed Bailey for a woeful 18 from 27 balls. Vinay struck a bigger blow in his next over when he got Suresh Raina to slash to Kallis at third man, and then Kumble sent back M Vijay. The innings never recovered after four wickets had fallen for 17 runs. Vinay went for a few runs but finished with a four-wicket haul to help Bangalore surge ahead of Mumbai Indians in the points table.

English bowlers put pressure on Bangladesh

Bangladesh 419 and 172 for 6 (Shakib 25*, Shafiul 0*) lead England 496 (Bell 138, Bresnan 91, Shakib 4-124) by 95 runs


It has been a grinding effort from England but, led by Graeme Swann and Stuart Broad with two wickets apiece, they gained momentum as the fourth day, making regular inroads into Bangladesh's batting order to set up the prospect of 2-0 series win. The home side limped to 172 for 6 - a lead of 95 - as their resistance began to falter after Tamim Iqbal was dismissed for a belligerent 52. Shakib Al Hasan remained unbeaten on 25 and it will be down to him to try and give his side something to defend on the final day. After battling hard during the first three days Bangladesh's resistance is finally starting to crack with England able to apply pressure. However, once again it wasn't a faultless performance from the visitors who batted ponderously during the morning and then spurned a number of chances, some easier than others, in the field. With the ball beginning to turn appreciably, Tamim was given three lives off James Tredwell in his short, but enterprising innings when Bangladesh came out to bat for the second time with a deficit 77. The first came in Tredwell's opening over as he immediately found some purchase off the wicket to graze the edge of Tamim's bat, but the deflection bounced out of Matt Prior's gloves and a tumbling Paul Collingwood on slip could not hold on either.

Mumbai Indians's Captain Tendulkar Seals Easy Win

Mumbai Indians 156 for 3 (Tendulkar 71*) beat Kolkata Knight Riders 155 for 3 (Gayle 75, Zaheer 2-27) by seven wickets


A graceful Sachin Tendulkar fifty was the highlight of Mumbai Indians' convincing seven-wicket win, which was set up by the bowlers who stuck to a strategy and restricted Kolkata Knight Riders to an underwhelming score at the Brabourne Stadium. Chris Gayle boosted Kolkata with a steady fifty, but the visitors will look back at the night and feel they pushed the pedal too late, despite keeping so many wickets in hand.

This IPL has revealed effective strategies used by teams to keep the batsmen in check. The tactic of bowling short at the body has worked well for Royal Challengers Bangalore, and today, Mumbai persisted with firing yorkers on the leg stump, cramping the batsmen for room. It was best highlighted in a passage of play in the Kolkata innings where they batted 37 balls without a boundary. Sixty-two off the last six overs was an improvement, but about 15-20 runs short.

The Mumbai openers began the chase in fifth gear by racing to 24 off two overs, all off boundaries. Shikhar Dhawan dented Shane Bond's confidence by smashing three boundaries off the first over, while Tendulkar gave Ishant Sharma a similar nightmare by fetching three more fours off the second, all crisply driven down the ground off the front foot.

Monday, March 22, 2010

Australia lead 1-0

Australia 459 for 5 dec & 106 for 0 (Hughes 86*) beat New Zealand 157 & 407 (McCullum 104, McIntosh 83, Vettori 77) by 10 wickets

It took Australia longer than they expected, but Phillip Hughes' final-day blast allowed them to finish off New Zealand and gain a 1-0 lead heading into the final Test in Hamilton on Saturday. Brendon McCullum's inspired 104 forced the visitors to chase 106, a target they achieved without loss before lunch thanks to Hughes' aggressive 86 off 75 balls.

After spending time in the field over four days, Ryan Harris, the debutant, sealed a quick finish of New Zealand's second innings, taking 4 for 77 as the hosts were dismissed for 407. Hughes, who grabbed 12 fours and a six, was then in a hurry to end the game and sped to the 10-wicket victory in 23 overs. It was left to Simon Katich, who played the anchor with 18, to take the winning single on the final ball before lunch.

The upbeat display will give Hughes confidence for the next Test he plays, but he will probably have to wait as he is seat-warming for the injured Shane Watson in this game. Daniel Vettori came on and his first delivery was hit by Hughes through cover for four and his fourth effort went for six to midwicket. Hughes charged down the wicket, wasn't put off by not being near the pitch of the ball, and swiped it flat and so hard that it came back damaged after hitting the bitumen in the car park.

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New Zealand v Australia at Wellington, 1st Test - day 4

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Bangladesh v England at Dhaka, 2nd Test - day 3

Sunday, March 21, 2010

Bangladesh put pressure on England

England 171 for 3 (Trott 64*, Bell 25*) trail Bangladesh 419 (Tamim 85, Naeem 59*, Mahmudullah 59, Shafiul 53, Swann 4-114) by 248 runs


Bangladesh had the better of the second day at Mirpur, posting 419 with half centuries for Naeem Islam and Shafiul Islam before reducing England to 107 for 3 during the evening session. However, Jonathan Trott provided an exhibition of patient and determined batting to guide England to 171 for 3 at the close, finishing unbeaten on 64 after more than four hours of obdurate occupation of the crease.

He added 76 with Kevin Pietersen to steady England after Alastair Cook departed early for 21, and a further 64 in an unbeaten stand with Ian Bell to chip away at Bangladesh's first innings after the hosts' positive batting performance in the morning.

Trott started his vigil very slowly as Shakib al Hasan opted for the choking application of spin to cut down scoring opportunities after lunch. Shakib's tactics drew early dividends when Cook attempted to break the shackles with his favoured slog-sweep, but managed only to loft a catch to a perfectly-positioned Imrul Kayes at deep midwicket.

His dismissal left England wobbling slightly at 29 for 1, and with Pietersen's arrival the Bangladesh captain opted to keep left-arm spin on from both ends, with three fielders in close and Mushfiqur Rahim geeing up his side with a constant stream of encouragement from behind the stumps.

New Zealand stands firm in windy Wellington

New Zealand 157 & 369 for 6 (McCullum 94*, McIntosh 83, Vettori 77) lead Australia 459 for 5 dec by 67 runs


Brendon McCullum changed his tactics to produce a superb team innings that allowed New Zealand to take their battle with Australia into a fifth day. Standing up to a fierce wind gusting up to 120kph, McCullum smothered his attack-first mentality and overcame a distracted Australian side to finish unbeaten on 94.

Crucially, McCullum built on the work of Daniel Vettori, who produced a committed 77, and took the hosts further ahead during their follow-on. By stumps on a day curtailed by rain, light and regular interruptions caused by the gale, their advantage stood at 67. It is not much, but some more wet weather is predicted on the final morning, giving them a chance of saving the game.

The Australians started the day with a lead of 115 and needed five wickets but they managed only one. Mostly they wished they were inside, safe from the powerful gusts and resting after three consecutive days in the field. McCullum and Vettori kept them outside during a partnership of 126 - it was a sixth-wicket record for New Zealand against Australia - and both raised their highest scores in Trans-Tasman Tests.

Deccan Chargers's Symonds, Rohit star in 10-run win

Deccan Chargers 171 for 6 (Rohit 45, Symonds 35) beat Delhi Daredevils 161 for 9 (Warner 57, Karthik 46, Symonds 3-21) by ten runs


Andrew Symonds starred in an impressive all-round effort, racing to 35 and picking up three wickets, to help Deccan Chargers achieve their third consecutive victory in the IPL - a result in contrast to Delhi Daredevils' run in the competition, as they slipped to their third defeat in as many games despite a counter-attack from captain Dinesh Karthik. Symonds' effort was backed up by an attacking knock from Rohit Sharma, who burst into spotlight after a quiet start to the competition to take Deccan to a challenging score, which proved just about adequate for them to continue their winning ways.

Deccan will look back at three stages where they came up trumps to snatch the game. They ensured the task of posting a competitive total was achieved, as Rohit and T Suman added 60 in quick time after three threatening innings by Deccan's overseas batsmen - Adam Gilchrist, Herschelle Gibbs and Symonds - had been cut short by timely changes in bowling; they fought back in the middle overs after David Warner and AB de Villiers had combined to give Delhi a strong foundation for a successful chase; and they saw off a late scare from Karthik, who blasted 46 off 27. Symonds, bowling seam-up, bagged two wickets, including Karthik, off successive balls in the penultimate over to help seal a tight win.

Punjab hold nerve in Super Over

Kings XI Punjab 136 for 8 (Yuvraj 43, Murali 3-16, Morkel 2-23) tied with Chennai Super Kings 136 for 7 (Parthiv 57, Theron 2-17). Punjab won after Super Over


Mediocrity met mediocrity on Sunday night, and somehow produced the first tie of the third edition of the IPL, leading to a Super Over, which gave Kings XI Punjab an unlikely victory. Irfan Pathan and Yuvraj Singh managed 82 runs in the 10 overs they faced between them, but the others batted poorly to score just 54 in the other 10. In the chase, even after a 65-run opening stand, the Chennai Super Kings batsmen contrived to be needing 10 runs off the last over. Fittingly for a match of low quality, the last over of the regulation game - bowled by Irfan and faced by Albie Morkel and R Ashwin - read: edge for four, missed slog for two byes thanks to an overthrow, single, another edge for two, a missed waft, and a powerful, nervous hit straight to mid-off with one needed off the last ball.

Juan Theron, playing his first IPL match and Punjab's bowling hero in the regulation time, bowled Hayden off the second ball in the Super Over, and despite a slogged six from Suresh Raina, once again 10 were needed in the last over. Muttiah Muralitharan was hit for a six first ball by Mahela Jayawardene, but he came back with a wicket and a dot to set the match up again. Yuvraj chose that extremely nervous moment to execute a delicate reverse-sweep, a shot he hardly ever uses, to finish the game off with two balls to go.

By halftime, though, Murali, the second Sri Lankan spinner to bowl the losing Super Over in as many tied matches in IPL, wouldn't have expected to play any further role in the game, let alone bowl the pressure over. In regulation time, he was the perfect spy, taking out two of the most prolific batsmen from his country, with 3 for 16 in his four overs. It wasn't as if Chennai needed any extra-ordinary bowling effort: the Punjab batsmen were hapless again.

Australia Tour of New Zealand 2010

Bollinger makes his mark on struggling New Zealand

New Zealand 157 (Vettori 46, Bollinger 5-28) & 187 for 5 (McIntosh 83) trail Australia 459 for 5 dec by 115 runs

New Zealand didn't understand the fuss over Doug Bollinger during the one-day series, but they do now after he put Australia on track for a convincing victory in Wellington. After struggling through the limited-overs engagements and being attacked by the home batsmen, Bollinger has caused a lot of damage on a fine surface during the opening Test.

A career-best 5 for 28 helped floor New Zealand for 157 in their first innings, which ended 65 minutes into the third day and left them 302 behind, and Bollinger returned to cause more difficulties during the hosts' improved second effort. Despite Tim McIntosh's obdurate resistance with 83 in 276 minutes, the home side finished at 187 for 5, still needing 115 to make the tourists bat again.

Bollinger has played only seven Tests, but he was the attack's main man as he recorded the second five-wicket haul of his career and followed up with 2 for 30 off 13 overs. There were five breakthroughs in the day as he finished off the first innings and gave his side some inspiration when the visitors were becalmed in the second session.

Backing up after a demolition is not always easy for the bowlers, who expect to repeat their exploits despite their fatigue. The fast men didn't regain the same opportunities until Bollinger stepped up, dismissing BJ Watling and Peter Ingram (1) in the half hour before tea.

Watling, who made an unsuccessful challenge, was lbw to Bollinger for the second time in the game and walked off with 33 in 131 minutes, while Ingram flirted at Bollinger to give Brad Haddin an easy catch. Throughout the day he provided extra speed, bounce and a touch of swing to gain his rewards.

In the morning Bollinger, the third bowler used, struck twice in three balls, adding the victims to his two of the previous afternoon. Brendon McCullum left after trying a wild pull - he was well caught by Harris at fine-leg - and Bollinger then delivered a beautiful shorter ball angling away to brush Martin Guptill's edge.

Royal Challengers Bangalore Set Up Comprehensive Win

R Vinay Kumar removed Sachin Tendulkar, Dwayne Bravo and Ambati Rayudu in one over to turn what had been a cat-and-mouse game until then, unmistakably Royal Challengers' way, also taking them to the top of the table. He benefited in part from the pressure created by his team-mates' smart swing bowling, changes of pace, bouncers to Indian batsmen, and aggressive spin bowling by Anil Kumble. It was a fitting reversal of roles for a man used to being among the top wicket-takers in Indian domestic cricket, and then watching others steal the spotlight - not the least when his state-mate Abhimanyu Mithun made his international debut ahead of him after just one season of impressive numbers.

There was no role reversal for Jacques Kallis and Manish Pandey, though, who added 50-plus for the first wicket for the third time in a row to scythe through the target without breaking a sweat. Kallis tightened the orange cap around his head, taking his tournament tally to 264 undefeated runs, but Pandey missed a fifty after a good start for the third time in a row.

The Bangalore openers will be the first ones to concede that the night belonged to their bowlers. Praveen Kumar and Dale Steyn laid the foundation by controlling the rampaging batting line-up that had scored 200-plus in both their previous matches. Praveen, with his swing either side in his first over, sent the message that scoring wouldn't be that easy against this attack, and Steyn in his first removed Sanath Jayasuriya with a quick outswinger.

Finally Rajasthan seal maiden win

Finally, Rajasthan clicked as a unit and won a game. It was a slow wicket, perhaps one of the slowest tracks in this IPL, and Rajasthan, whose batsmen were harassed on bouncier pitches in this tournament so far, immediately looked more at home. Abhishek Jhunjhunwala led with a serene 45 to ensure Rajasthan capitalised on a solid start to end up with a very competitive 168, a total which they defended with a disciplined show from their spinners.

Kolkata didn't help their cause by a poor batting effort in the chase. Keeping wickets in hand is a sound ploy of course but they struggled to score runs and allowed the pressure to build up. Brad Hodge was the guiltiest of the lot. It might seem harsh for he scored almost a run-a-ball 36, but he never accelerated and allowed the chase to meander along. Hodge's approach was even stranger, considering Angelo Mathews and Owais Shah were cooling their heels in the dressing room. Even when he was well-settled, he waited for the new batsmen to attack, which was always going to be difficult on this slow track which aided the spinners. And Sourav Ganguly, too, struggled today though unlike Hodge, he tried to go for the big shots but could rarely find his timing. It might have been a plan that Hodge would drop anchor and the others hit around him but he never adapted to the changing demands of the chase.


Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Pune and Kochi unveiled as new IPL franchises

Pune and Kochi were unveiled as the two new IPL franchises, joining the tournament from the 2011 edition. While Pune was bought by Sahara Adventure Sports Group for $370 million, the Kochi franchise was snapped up by Rendezvous Sports World Limited for $333.3 million. In fact, Sahara had the highest bids for three cities - Ahmedabad, Pune and Nagpur - but it eventually opted for Pune.

Unveiling the winners at the ITC Park Sheraton in Chennai on Sunday, Lalit Modi, the IPL commissioner said, "There were five qualified bids and the bidding was extremely competitive. I hope they make good business." He also indicated that the franchise fee for the two new teams was for 10 years.

The process was to have been completed on March 7 but was postponed by two weeks after the bidders and the BCCI objected to stiff financial clauses.

The IPL will now feature 10 teams and - if the current format is retained - a total of 94 games, from the existing 60. After the first season in 2008, the league has already expanded its reach to other centres such as Cuttack, Ahmedabad, Nagpur and Dharamsala.